3rd Person's POV
As the others saw Chae Rin run in On Jo's direction, everyone's thoughts went to 'sacrifice', they were certain that the girl was going to push herself out the window with I Sak, or worse, let herself get bitten to protect the other.
Instead, they sighed relieved that she only knocked I Sak out, although On Jo held onto the zombie's hand, she had someone watching out for her, helping her realize it was pointless.
Meanwhile, the others saw how broken the latter was, a piece of glass stuck in her cheek as she looked up to On Jo and Cheong San, hoping for the two to notice the sad and hurt friend... but they didn't.
Even Na Yeon had a shocked expression, but decided not to meddle, instead kicking a stool to Cheong San's side to help him get rid of the Zombie that On Jo clung onto.
Nobody dared to move, they knew the girl had never once shown her emotional side to others, and she hated it... how weak she felt.
How discarded she felt as the two she called her family didn't spare her a single look, she tried not to show the effect it had on her. But the others could see it, clear as day, that she wasn't well.
She stood up, hands shaking as she held onto the window frame, maybe then they would notice her.
But they never did.
Cheong San's voice was all she could hear as he grunted, hitting the stool against I Sak, finally managing to throw her off, but it was too late.
Chae Rin had already gotten up and moved to the corner of the room, her face was empty of emotion, she too had lost a friend... but why did it feel like she had lost 3?
Was she being dramatic?
Jo was hurt about losing her friend, and Cheong San fought for On Jo not to get bitten by that same friend, but all Chae Rin wanted was to help, even getting hurt in the process.
As On Jo fell to the ground crying, no one dared to say a word, everyone's eyes wavered from the friends, should they pity Chae Rin? Was it that she simply thought too much of the situation and On Jo too was hurt?
She knew her reaction wasn't the greatest, that person was... On Jo's best friend, but then... what was she?
"Come hold this!" Gyeong Su yelled, more zombies banged on the door, knowing fully well that humans were there by the screams they had previously let out when they were trying to get rid of I Sak. No one spoke, simply going back to their places of holding the doors closed and keeping the chairs and table's covering the windows.
Soon the sounds got quieter, and Ji Min and Hyo Ryeong were consoling On Jo, who shed silent tears.
In the very corner of the room, Nam Ra had approached Chae Rin who had her fingers passing her cheek every few seconds trying to silently remove the glass without getting people's attention.
"Let me help you" the girl heard, her eyes immediately went up, the little hope she had in her dying down as she stared at the class president, still, she was happy to have Nam Ra's help and company, although she had hoped to see her best friends.
"It hurts" Chae Rin whimpered in pain.
"I know, I'm trying to make it painless, hold on" Nam Ra softly whispered back, the girl nodded her head, exhaling anxiously as the president finally managed to grab a hold of the glass pulling it from the girl's cheek.
"Ah, ah!"
That's when they noticed, Cheong San turning around right away, guilt filling his expression as he noticed the bloodied glass piece in Nam Ra's hand, rushing to his friend's side as the others took notice of how big it was.
"Are you okay?" he asked concerned, Chae Rin didn't look him in the eyes, she couldn't. As much as she loved him, she couldn't understand why he hadn't even looked at her once.
"Like you care" she coldly responded, Nam Ra used a cloth in the room to wipe away the blood oozing out of her wound before standing up to leave the two to talk.
"Ya... you know I care" she scoffed.
"I pushed her out the window... I pushed my friend out the window and all you could think of was On Jo"
"That's different, she was holding her hand!" He tried to explain.
"I was holding my cheek that had a glass lodged into it! - I called for you... both of you... you wouldn't even look at me, not even when you got out the window" she whispered, just a little louder and her voice would break.
There was something in her throat, she felt like crying, she wanted to yell at him, for everything. Blame him for what happened, but she couldn't. It wasn't his fault, it wasn't anyone's fault at all.
But she needed someone to blame, someone to use as a punching bag for having become invisible to her own childhood friends.
" Chae Rin..."
"I don't want to fight you Cheong San, please..."
"I'm sorry..."
As he walked away, she wished to hold his hand, and apologize back, but something in her stopped her, why would she apologize? Was it wrong to also crave the attention of Cheong San when she's the one who likes him?
Nam Ra had now gotten back to her place by Gyeong Su's side, her back against the door as she watched Cheong San turn once more to Chae Rin before he looked at On Jo and finally at the rest of the group.
"Let's go out. We can't last here much longer" he said, catching everyone's attention, even Chae Rin's who stood up from the corner.
"Where would we go? And how?" Wu Jin asked.
"The rope from earlier" he recalled.
"The water hose?" Chae Rin asked, he turned to face her, nodding slowly.
"Gyeong Su" Cheong San called out to his friend who turned around confused.
"What? Why? What is it?" He asked, a little more on edge as to what was coming next.
Cheong San explained the plan, and although everyone wanted to fight against it, they had no better plan and needed to leave soon, so there they stood.
In front of the door as Cheong San instructed them to open the door just a little for the hose to fit.
"Isn't it better to stay put until help arrives?" Gyeong Su asked, annoyed.
"We could all die if we wait" Cheong San replied to him.
"This might kill us faster. If we...-"
"Is waiting for someone the best thing we can do?" Cheong San asked him, raising his eyebrows, and Gyeong Su thought it over with a scowl giving it.
"Screw it. I've never given my best at anything other than playing" he said getting ready to open the door, Cheong San laying on the ground.
"Cheong San wait..." Chae Rin said rushing over, he got back up confused looking at the girl.
"Isn't that dangerous? What if they see your arm?" she asked, concerned.
"They won't, they never go on the floor, and they never look down, don't worry" he smiled at her reassuringly and the girl seemingly relaxed nodding.
"Are you worried about me, Yoon?" He smirked laughing.
"You wish Lee. Hurry up" she huffed stepping back as he laid back down, a little too happy that his friend had stopped being mad to be concerned.
Laying down, the student tried to use his arm to grab the hose, although the task became harder and harder as zombies moved it around with their feet, Cheong San got back up going into the lab's store room taking away an arm from the fake mannequin, laying back on the floor and using the extended member to get the hose closer until he could finally grab it.
The door slammed shut as Cheong San neared the window, Gyeong Su helping in pulling the hose inside, and once in he called out for the others to help and make knots in the hose, enough for an arm and foot, zig-zags, 50cm in between each.
Throwing the hose down, he immediately volunteered to go down first to check for an empty room, and he did get on the window after but he looked at On Jo who still looked hurt by her friends' death, stepping back down.
"Gyeong Su, you go first," He said to the shorter male.
"Why? Did you see something?" he asked nervously.
"No. You go" he assured.
"What's down there?" he asked again.
"Just go" Wu Jin hurried him.
"Should I go instead?" Chae Rin asked reaching for the hose.
"Ya." Wu Jin sighed glaring at the female before looking back at Gyeong Su "Go already" he said.
"Rock paper scissors?" Gyeong Su tried again.
"No. Go"
"Then you go, asshole" Gyeong Su cussed at Wu Jin.
"You can do it" he encouraged as the other cussed again but nonetheless climbed on the window.
"But why am i-"
"Grab it and go"
"Rock paper scissors?" he asked again, softer.
"Just go" Ji Min hurried him.
As the group kept going back and forward, Gyeong Su finally began going down with some complaints of course, and a little scared as Zombies get sight of him and reach to grab him, although impossible as the window separates them.
Upstairs Na Yeon causes a small ruckus again as she rushed to the line, Cheong San stops her explaining to her that it might fall if it shakes and that it should be only 1 person at a time, which, she didn't understand, explaining how she wouldn't shake it and asking him how long she'd have to wait which calmed her down.
On another note, Gyeong Su was now the happiest as the class the hose stopped in was the room his teacher was in, and he calls them all down.
One by one they all come down, Na Yeon first, then Dae Su who couldn't contain his happiness hugging the teacher, Ji Min, and afterward Hyo Ryeong, leaving On Jo alone with her emotions.
Joon Yeong was the second boy to go down, a cramp in his leg just as he arrived at the window of the broadcast room, Wu Jin tapped for Chae Rin to go first but the girl refused pointing at On Jo with her head, he understood giving her a sad smile and rubbing her shoulder joining the others in the room where the others waited for them.
Next was Nam Ra who had left a note on the wall for Su Hyeok, and after her went Chae Rin, as Cheong San hurriedly went to grab On Jo, the door opening a little.
"Ya, On Jo, come down!" Chae Rin yelled at her friend, sure she was hurt, but that meant nothing when they were all trying to survive, and she didn't want to lose any more people.
On Jo finally began coming down, Chae Rin stood by the window, hands out to get the girl.
What neither knew was that after her the door had begun opening and as she safely entered the broadcast room the door fully broke down, dozens of zombies entering the classroom they were just in, leaving Cheong San with no choice but to jump out the window and grab onto the rope at the bottom as Chae Rin screams for him running back to the window.
Chae Rin's POV
As the girl entered the classroom she hugged her teacher before going back to the window and extending her arms out to help On Jo get down the ropes, Gyeong Su on the other side helping her.
As On Jo's feet hit the floor of the classroom, Chae Rin's eyes wander around before going back to the window, the sound of glass breaking snapping her out of it as she puts her head back inside just as zombies begin falling out from above.
"Lee Cheong San!" I scream.
"I'm okay!" He yells back, I sigh.
"Fucking asshole" I mumble sticking out my head.
"Oh! It's Su Hyeok!" I point out, everyone trying to put their heads out.
"It's Bare Su!" Dae Su repeats.
"Cheong San-Ah!" Gyeong Su calls out, we all watch as Su Hyeok who was grabbed onto Cheong San's bag kicks the zombie, all of us putting our heads inside before quickly sticking them back out to look at the two boys.
"Bare Su!"
"Are you okay?" Gyeong Su asked.
As the two come down, I stayed behind, I watch as Nam Ra extends her hand to help Su Hyeok although putting it down soon without anyone noticing, On Jo grabs onto his hand to help him down instead.
"Are you okay, Bare Su?" Wu Jin asks.
"Close it" On Jo softly says.
"Close it already! Close the window! Please" Na Yeon whines getting up from her seat.
Everyone ignores it, waiting for Cheong San to get inside, Gyeong Su fed up gets down from his position walking toward her
"Fuck, didn't you see Cheong San coming in? We can't close it until he gets in!" He argues with her.
"Is it wrong to say to close it?" She argues back angrily.
"Ya. You fucker, you scared me. I thought you had thrown yourself out the window" I angrily whispered to Cheong San punching his shoulder.
"Ah! It hurts!" He whined.
"Really?" I fake sincerity, and he nods quietly.
I punch him harder.
"It should. Fucking asshole" I huff.
"I can't stand you, stupid welfie" I hear Na Yeon say with a scoff. Everyone goes quiet, the playful mood between me and Cheong San gone as we stare at her speechless.
Gyeong Su pushes her back into a chair, and she yelps, I don't blame him, I would have done the safe.
"Ya. What the fuck did you just say?" He asks her fuming.
"Stop it" Cheong San grabs his arm, and Na Yeon gets back up fast, going up to his face.
"Did you just hit me?" she asks in disbelief.
"Yes. Say that again" He dared her.
"Cut it out. What is going on?" Ms. Park asked the two.
"He just hit me," Na Yeon says, once more, acting like the victim.
"You called him a welfie, Na Yeon. You started it" I scoffed at her.
"Shut up, at least I'm not an orphan" she stabs back.
"What?!" I walk towards her.
"How could you say that ?" Cheong San asks.
"What's a welfie? Tell me. What is it? What's a welfie?" Ms. Park continuously asks.
"A person on welfare" Su Hyeok responds from behind her.
"What?" She asks as if trying to comprehend how one could call another that.
"A person on welfare. "Welfie" for short." He explains, the teacher looks... shocked to say the least, she turns back around, closing her eyes trying to think of a way to talk to them, and settles for the 2nd grader teacher method.
"Na Yeon, you were wrong. Don't ever say that again. And Gyeong Su, if you hit someone for saying that, you're the one who loses. You understand what I mean, right?" she told them.
"Unless she loses her tongue first" I smirked, Cheong San bumps his shoulder with mine... right, bad timing sorry.
"No" Gyeong Su shortly responds.
"Kids, we shouldn't be fighting among ourselves right now. We don't know what is going on - "
"Isn't it Zombies?" Su Hyeok asks.
"Ya! I told you already not to steal my line!" I whined.
"Where are the other teachers? Did you call the cops?" Ji Min asks stepping forward.
"I'm sure someone did. I don't have my phone either" Ms. Park explained.
"We called, too, but they're not coming. Both the police and the first responders" Cheong San spoke up.
"They'll be here soon. Let's wait here a little longer" she assured.
"Ms. Park. Hyeon Ju's hands were cold too. So were I Sak's, what if it started with Hyeon Ju?" On Jo asked her.
"Then, that means that it already spread outside of school, most likely the hospital is overrun with zombies too" I sighed sitting on the chair behind Cheong San.
"That's why they're not coming... Every place has likely been infected" I commented.
Was that too rude to say out loud? Maybe I should've given them hope...
What hope. We're likely fighting for our lives against zombies, fuck hope.